Tongue-depressor



. 'agzrgssfs C. MAC M. BUGB EE.

TONGUE DEPRESSOR- APPLICATION mzo IUNEH. 1919.

1,344,020. Patented June 22, 1920.

INVENTOR C/i BUGBZT ATTORNEYS fcoY mAcnrrLLAn BUGBEE, or ,sriemerintn, vnmironr. 1

TONGUE-DEPRESSOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 22, 1920.

Application filed. June 11, 1919. Serial No. 303,275.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CoY M. BUGBEE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Springfield, in the county of Windsor and State of Vermont, have invented a new and Improved Tongue-Depressor, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to tongue depressor-s of a type suitable for use in surgery, den ti stry, and related professions for the purpose of promoting accessibility to the interior of the human mouth. v

More particularly stated my invention comprehends a tongue depressor having such form that it may be made up inexpensively and used for depressing the tongue under such conditions that a thorough inspection can be made at any and all stages of the use of the device.

My invention further contemplates giving such form to the tongue depressor that the operator in using it can depress the tongue to any desired extent by simply manipulating the depressor by means of his fingers.

My invention contemplates various struc tural improvements in devices of this gen eral character for the purpose of improving the efiiciency of the same.

Reference is made tothe accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which like reference letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved tongue depressor complete.

Fig. 2 is a side elevatlon of the same.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the tongue depressor as it appears when pressure is applied. to it by the fingers of the operator during the use of the device.

A piece of spring wire 4 is bent as shown in the figures and this is provided with wire loops 4 The spring wire is further provided with straight extending portions 5, ,6 and with a portion 7 bent upwardly and downwardly as indicated in Fig.2 and carrying an eye 8. The portion 5 carries an upwardly ex tending portion 9 and mounted uponthe latter is a blade 10 comparatively wide and hav-,

ing a large surface for engaging the tongue as may be understood more particularly from Fig. 1.

erator as indicated more particularly. in

Fig. 3.

The manner in which the device is used is illustrated in Fig. 3, the patients tongue, chin and adjacent organic members being indicated by dotted lines.

' The operation of my device is as follows: The operator places his thumb and forefinger upon the plates 11 and 12, and by pressing these plates toward each other causes eye 8 and the blade 10 to recede from each other, he then applies the device as indicated in Fig. 3, the blade 10 being placed upon the patients tongue so as to extend backwardly toward the base thereof, the eye 8 being placed against the underside of the patients chin. The device is then re leased and by its spring pressure it causes the blade 10 to depress the tongue and also to force it forwardly-that is toward the patients front, as may be understood from Fig. 3. With the device thus applied the patients tongue remains depressed and as far as practicable out of the operators way so that he can have a more favorable opportunity to work in the patients mouth.

It will be noted that the device when once in position remains self-clamped, that is to say it holds itself in position and also holds the patients tongue in suitable position for the purpose indicated. This enables the operator' to use both of his handsfor purposes of dentistry or other work relative to the patients mouth.

I do not limit myself to the precise mechanism shown, as variations may be made therein without departure from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I

ing bent to form a transversely extending eye for engaging a patients chin, and the other of said portions being provided with a flat member curved slightly in the general ing bent upwardly and then laterally to direction of its length. form a transversely extending eye for en- 2. A tongue depressor comprising a singaging a patients chin, and the other of 10 gle piece of spring Wire bent to form loops, said portions being provided with a tongue and provided with portions crossing each engaging member curved slightly in the other, each of said portions being provided general direction of its length.

with a finger plate, one of said portions be- COY MACMILLAN BUGBEE. 

